Life Can Be Rough, Friends Make It Easier
by Jacob Rhys Lewis
Summary: AU. In the kingdom of Fiore, in the town of Magnolia, there is a place where kids are looked after and protected. That place is Fairy Tail Orphanage. But this story is mostly about the interactions of those that once belonged to that place. They now attend MAGNOLIA HIGH SCHOOL! And get into all sorts of shenanigans. Definitely going to be coupling. Rating subject to change
1. Chapter 1: Summer Beckons

My new project. I don't know, I've gotten back into Fairy Tail again and read a few fanfics about an AU High School. One in particular inspired me to write this, "Somebody I Used to Know" by Blueninjamanga22. I wouldn't blame you if you left right now to go read it. It is soooooo good! Hope they don't mind the free publicity. Anyways, hope you enjoy my own version.

Oh, by the way, I don't own Fairy Tail in any way, shape, or form.

**Life Can Be Rough,**

**Friends Make it Easier**

Morning of Day 1: Summer Beckons

FIORE, once a great kingdom, now a modern everyday society. One of its shining stars is Magnolia, and in Magnolia are a great number of amazing people. However, our story focuses on a peculiar little orphanage in the outskirts of the town. Fairy Tail Orphanage.

"NATSU, WAKE YOUR ASS UP OR YOUR GONNA MISS YOUR LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!" yelled a crotchety old man.

A boy continued to sleep soundly upstairs in his room, snuggling his little kitty, dreaming sweet dreams. Natsu Dragneel is an orphan at the Fairy Tail Orphanage. At the moment, Makarov Dreyer is the caretaker and organizer of the establishment, or 'Master' as he sometimes likes to call himself. Not too long ago, there were lots of children that filled up the orphanage with different backgrounds and personalities. But at the moment, the only people living there were Makarov, his grandson Laxus, and poor young Natsu. He practically lived there his entire life without knowing who his biological family is and no one has ever adopted him. That was alright with him most of the time though. He made so many friends while living there. But of course, everyone grows up eventually. His friends either became too old or were adopted. Most lived within the city, but Natsu still felt alone sometimes in that big house. Well, at least he still had Makarov and Laxus around.

"Damn that boy, he'll be the death of me. Laxus, go get him out of bed."

"Jii-Jii, I'm too old for you to just order me around like that," Laxus Dreyer said in response.

"Hmmmmmm…that's funny, too old to do what I say, but not old enough to move out of my house or pay rent?"

"I'll go get him."

"That's a good grandson." Makarov Dreyer smiled.

"I'm going to kill Natsu for reminding this old man that I'm bumming…I mean living here without paying expenses," Laxus mumbled as he walked up the stairs and cracked his knuckles. He kicked open the door only to see Natsu still asleep. "Oh, you're so dead!" The cat woke up immediately, saw Laxus, and sprinted out of the room. "I'll give you this Dragneel; you've got one smart cat." He ran up to him, picked him up with one arm, opened the adjacent window with the other, and tossed him into the pond outside. "WAKE YOUR ASS UP!" Laxus yelled as Natsu flew through the air.

"Huh…whaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" *SPLASH*

Laxus clapped his hands together after a job well done and began to walk down the stairs. As he entered the kitchen Makarov asked, "Did you manage to wake up that knucklehead?"

At that moment, Natsu slammed the kitchen door open. He was soaked to the bone, covered in algae, and had a frog croaking on his head. "Yep, sure did Jii-Jii," he said nonchalantly as he sat down to the table and grabbed his cup of coffee.

"WHAT THE HELL ASSHOLE!" Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs. After shaking the frog and algae and water onto all the food Makarov was preparing, he launched himself at Laxus. "I'LL KISS YOUR AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Makarov was not pleased to find breakfast ruined in an instant so he punished the one responsible. "AH, Jii-chan that hurt!"

"I DAMN WELL HOPE SO! YOU RUINED BREAKFAST! SEE!"

Natsu took his hand off his stomach where Makarov had kicked him and saw everything covered in pond scum. His eyes got wide and he yelled, "OH NOOOOOOO!"

"Sounds like you guys are hyped up already this morning," a boy with no shirt on said as he intruded on this unusual scene.

"Oh, hello Gray," Makarov said kindly, "Seems you've stripped early this morning."

"HuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH? Where did my shirt go?" Gray shouted confused. "Oi, Natsu, I'm gonna borrow one of your shirts! In the meantime, get your shit together or we're gonna be late for school!" Gray ran past Natsu to the stairs to steal from the pink-haired boy's limited wardrobe.

"What time is it?" Natsu asked as he stared at the clock. "WHAT THE FUCK! 7:45! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO ANYTHING!" Realizing this, he shook off the worst of the water, making even more of a mess. Before Makarov could punch him in the face, he zoomed upstairs to change as well. With Gray just behind him, they raced out of the house.

"LATER JII-CHAN! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS LATER LAXUS!" Natsu roared as he exited.

"Pff, as if," Laxus said from behind a newspaper.

.

"Bye Jii-san. Bye Laxus." Gray said politely on his way out.

Makarov watched as they ran towards town. "Hmm…it's scary those two can legally drive," he said with a smile.

"No doubt," Laxus said smirking.

Natsu and Gray sprinted as if their lives depended on it. Well, it just so happens their lives did depend on making it to school on time. If they didn't, Erza was sure to destroy them. Only ten minutes left, but they were only a few blocks away at this point. After all, they are two of Magnolia High's star athletes.

As the school came into sight, Natsu turned around and said to Gray, "WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!" Unfortunately for Natsu, an unexpected run-in with the Twilight Ogre gang would slow down their pace. And I mean a literal run-in. Natsu, not paying attention to what's in front of him, ran right into one of their leaders who was slinking out of an alleyway. They both fell to the ground. "Ow! What the…oh sorry," Natsu said apologetically.

"ERRRRRRR, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM YOU SNOTNOSE LITTLE BRAT!" the man in the leather jacket yelled as his cronies lifted him off the ground.

Gray gave Natsu a hand up and then the scarfed teen brushed himself off, gave the guy a look over and said, "Umm, no, I don't know you."

"WHY YOU LITTLE SHIT! I'M TEEBO OF THE INFAMOUS TWILIGHT OGRE GANG! YOU BETTER GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS!" He was right in Natsu's face with his accusatory finger.

Natsu, while tempted to bite it off, instead took the dumb road, "Why do you keep calling me little? I'm taller than you." Gray face palmed.

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" This Teebo guy wasn't going to play around anymore. He pulled out his gun and pointed it right at Natsu's face. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT YOU LITTUUUUUH!" He was cut off by an unbelievably fast punch courtesy of the boy nicknamed as the Salamander of Magnolia High.

"I'm fired up," he whispered, his eyes glowing with excitement.

The cronies just stood there staring at their boss lying on the ground unconscious. Then looking back up at the two boys standing in front of them. One of them finally recognized them. "WAIT! You're NATSU THE SALAMANDER! He was in the quarterfinals of last year's _BRAWL!_ That means that other guy is GRAY FULLBUSTER, SON OF UL!"

"What? No cool nickname for me?" Gray said with a big smirk.

One of the other minions finally found a voice as well. "UL? LIKE THE UL? The legendary ICY BITCH! HE'S HER SON!"

"Heh! Even your mom's got a nickname Droopy Eyes," Natsu laughed.

"That's right! He almost made it to the quarterfinals last year too!" Crony #1 explained.

"Shut up Slanty Eyes! I'll get my own nickname! I just have to do something epic! And as for losing last year, that only happened because I got unlucky and had to face my brother the round before the quarterfinals. But I won't let Lyon beat me this year!"

"AAHHH! WE'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE! THESE GUYS ARE PSYCHOS!" Crony #2 yelled before starting to run down the alley. However, he was cut off by Gray and in a matter of seconds was lying on the ground next to his boss.

"OH FUCK!" all the cronies yelled.

"That's right!" Natsu said with a fire in his eyes. He cracked his knuckles and the onslaught began.

"Hahuh, hahuh, did we make it?" Natsu asked out of breath.

"Hahuh, I think so," Gray answered.

"Not quite," said a powerful, menacing voice.

Both boys flinched and shivered. Goosebumps were visible on their exposed skin. They could feel the dark aura flickering behind them. They slowly turned their heads to see the source of this evil. But of course they knew it was. Tears streamed down their face when the full realization of their mistake became clear. "Hey Erza," both boys managed to say before she beat them to a bloody pulp.

Aries, the secretary in the school's office, was preparing to make the school announcements when the door swung open. She saw Erza carrying two unconscious beaten up students.

"OH MY! ERZA-SAN, WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE BOYS? I'm sorry!"

"No need to apologize Aries-san, and never mind how they got hurt. They were both in getting to school. I need two tardy slips please."

"Oh, sorry, right away Erza-San!"

Well, it's not great, but I promise it will get better! If you want some idea of how I plan to establish the characters, I have some early character design typed out. Just PM and I can send it to you. As always, suggestions are always appreciated and welcomed. Please review and let me know how I'm doin. Love ya guys to bits. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Free Time With Friends

Well, here's hopin you guys enjoyed the first chapter enough to stick around. Here #2!

I do not own Fairy Tail

School Second Period of Day 1: Free Time with Friends

_Walking down a dark hallway hoping to reach the delightful light at the end of it. 'I'm almost there' he tells himself, "Just a little closer!" But he never seems to reach it. The light moves further and further away. "WAIT! DON'T GO!" He runs towards it, but it just fades away. "NO! IF YOU LEAVE SHE'LL…"_

"_THERE YOU ARE!" A monstrously huge and evil creature emerges from the shadows covered in malicious-looking armor. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!" It reaches down with its frightening claws. It's going to grab him, crush him, eat him…_

"_NO! NO! NO!..."_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ERZA DON'T EAT ME!" Natsu and Gray both scream as they wake up in the nurse's office.

"Umm…are you sure you just found them unconscious Erza-san?" The white-haired beauty wasn't convinced that they weren't attacked by a certain class president.

"Of course Mira-san, would I lie to you?" Erza said in her most serious of tones.

"Hmmm…well whatever the case, they seem fine now and that's all that matters!" Mirajane Strauss said cheerfully.

Natsu and Gray looked at each other, befuddled. They both reached for their heads and flinched from pain. They finally remembered what happened and looked around for the culprit.

"Are you ok boys? You seem kind of fidgety?" Mirajane asked, concerned about their well-beings.

As they opened their mouths to tell her about the incident, "Yeah, boys…what…happened?" Erza said, annunciating each syllable, giving them **the look** from behind Mirajane.

Natsu and Gray jumped out of bed, grabbed each other's shoulders, and did a dance. "Nothing happened," they said, "we just fell and bumped our heads!"

"Oh, well you guys should be more careful! You're lucky Erza was there to make sure nothing bad happened while you were incapacitated."

"WE SURE ARE!" they said again in unison. "Well, off to class we go!" They then proceeded to sprint out of the nurse's office.

"HEY! NO RUNNING IN THE HALLS YOU TWO! YOU DON'T WANT ANOTHER ACCIDENT DO YOU!?" Erza yelled after them.

They came to a screeching halt, turned around, and said "AYE AYE SIR!" They skipped arm in arm down the hall looking as happy as clams.

"It's good to see them acting like mature adults for a change," Erza said to Mirajane.

"It's because they've got you as a role model Erza-san!" Mirajane replied.

"Thanks Mira-san for your help! Well, I'm off to second period, see you at lunch."

"Bye Erza-san!" Mirajane waved goodbye as Erza walked out.

Back to Natsu and Gray. As they turned the corner where Erza could no longer watch them, they separated and walked normally again. "Erza is so scary!" Natsu whined.

"That's for sure." Gray looked at his watch to see how late it was. "Well, we missed first period, but second period has only just started. I guess we should go to class."

"Ugh, do we have to? We just went through such a horrible ordeal. And it's the end of the year anyways, we're not gonna learn anything." Natsu was feeling particularly whiny after being woken up in an unpleasant manner, not having a good breakfast, and then getting beaten up by a behemoth.

"Unless you want to go through ANOTHER ordeal, we better go," Gray said frightened.

Shivers went up Natsu's spine. "LAST ONE THERE IS ERZA'S BITCH!" Natsu soared down the hallway to his second period class, History with Dr. Capricorn.

"Oi! That's not fair Natsu!" Gray yelled as he ran after him.

"And so that's what you soon to be juniors have to look forward to in your next history course…" a tall man with a goatee (haha get it) and sunglasses was explaining before he was interrupted by the door slamming open.

"HAHA GRAY! YOU'RE ERZA'S BITCH!" the pink haired misfit said to his friend.

"NATSU! YOU BASTARD! YOU PICKIN' A FIGHT WITH ME!"

"HUH!?" Natsu and Gray were up in each other's faces as Dr. Capricorn and the whole class stared at them.

"Mr. Dragneel, Mr. Fullbuster, unless you want to spend your entire summer in detention under the watchful eye of your school president, I suggest you quiet down, take your seats, and behave for the rest of my class."

"AYE SIR" they said as they took their seats quickly and quietly. The entire class laughed hysterically at the two idiots.

Dr. Capricorn whistled at the class and immediately got their attention. "Somehow, it is impossible for you two not to cause a disruption in my class. In any case, I just want to congratulate all of you for passing my class this year. While some of you made less than stellar grades…"

The whole class whispered, "Natsu."

"HEY!"

"…I can say the class as a whole did excellently and you all did your best. That's all a teacher can hope for. I might not see some of you in my more advanced history classes in the coming years, to you lot I say, good luck with your future studies, I will sincerely miss you. Yes, even you Mr. Dragneel. Those of you who will be in my classes, I can't wait to help you learn once again. It was a pleasure getting to know you all. Now as a treat for a good year, I've been allowed to let you do whatever you like for the rest of the period."

Everyone jumped up and yelled excitedly, "THANK YOU DR. CAPRICORN!"

"You're welcome. Have a great summer." With that, Dr. Capricorn left the students to their own devices as he strolled down to the teacher's lounge.

The whole class dispersed. Some of the students stayed in the room and had conversations. Others listened to their mp3 players. A few even started taking a nap. While Natsu was tempted to join them, his stomach was his first priority at the moment. He sped off to the cafeteria to fill his belly.

"OI! Where's Natsu going off to like a Man!?"

Gray was the one to answer the big man of Men. "Probably off to stuff his face. He skipped breakfast this morning."

Elfman Strauss looked disappointed. "Ugh, we should be using this time to practice like Men for this summer's _BRAWL!_"

"There's plenty of time for you to practice during the summer Elf-niichan. Why don't we go outside and just laze around in the sun?" A good suggestion courtesy of the third Strauss sibling, Lisanna.

"I like the sound of that!" an adorably small blue-haired girl said as she popped up from behind Lisanna.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Lisanna and Levy on this one Elfman. I'm exhausted after getting beat up by Erza this morning. I could use some relaxation." Gray got up from his chair and stood beside the girls.

"PLEEEEAAAASE ELF-NIICHAN!" Lisanna said in the cutest way possible.

"Hmmm…fine, but that just means I'll train my mind like a MAN!"

"Yeah, yeah, ok. YAY! Let's goooo!" Lisanna said leading the group outside.

"Wait for us LEVY-CHAN!" Two lover boys followed as well.

Once they got outside, they headed for the school's garden. It was the best place in all of Magnolia to just lie in the grass, smell the flowers, and stare at the clouds. Lisanna and Levy laid down next to each other and started to tell each other what they saw in the clouds. The two lover boys, Jet Bolton and Droy Chinnicci, stared at Levy the whole time with hearts in their eyes and drooling from their mouths. Gray of course stripped down to his and underwear unknowingly and as soon as his back touched the warm grass he fell asleep. Elfman, however, determined to do some kind of training 'like a Man' attempted to meditate and mentally envision the battles soon to come in the _BRAWL!_ tournament.

I guess I should explain what _BRAWL!_ is now. It is a Magnolia tradition like the Harvest Festival or the Blossom Blooming Festival. It is an infamous fighting tournament and draws all sorts of fighters from all over Fiore. It isn't limited to any particular style of fighting. However, certain weapons must be used. Those who wish to fight hand to hand must wear special gloves to soften the blows for instance. Weapons like swords, spears, and the like are made from soft materials so as to not cause fatal injuries. Each match is limited to 5 minutes and overseen by a group of judges and a referee. A person loses if after the time limit is up they have less points then the opponent determined by the judges. Other ways to lose are if they fall out of the ring, are unconscious, give up, or kill their opponent. That last one as you might suspect does not happen often, but it is there for a reason. Many of the students at Magnolia High dream of becoming champion. As of right now, the only person in the sophomore class who's made it to the final rounds, meaning at least the quarterfinals, is Natsu. The one who defeated him became that year's champion. As you may have guessed, it was Erza Scarlet who earned the title last year. Other famous winners include are Makarov Dreyer long ago and his grandson Laxus Dreyer who won a several years ago when he was a senior at Magnolia High. As I mentioned the first chapter, Ul, known as the Icy Bitch, was a prominent fighter back in her day. She's won it several times and often shows off the trophies to her kids to prove it. But these former champions haven't competed in several years to give this new generation of fighters a chance to improve their skills. Anyways, that's the basics on _BRAWL!_. We'll learn more about it when the actual tournament starts. Now back to the story at hand.

While the group of soon to be juniors relaxed outside, Natsu was stuffing his face in the cafeteria not too far away. "Uuuuugh, I may have overdid it a bit *BUUUUUUUUUUURP*!" Natsu had eaten everything and anything he could get his hands on, meaning there was no food left in the cafeteria by the time he was done. "Thanks for the food!" he said to the horrified cooking staff as he rolled out of the cafeteria. As he entered the hallway, he looked out into the garden and saw his friends there. "There they are! Well, that was easy." He continued to roll outside and up to his friends. "Hey everybody!"

"Hey Nats…NATSU! What the hell happened?" Lisanna asked terrified by his new bulbous physique.

"Oh, I just ate a little too much. *HICCUP*"

"Natsu, how do you expect to impress a girl when you look so ridiculous?" Lisanna said, while thinking, 'I like it better when you're hunky silly boy'. After that thought, she blushed a little and looked back up at the sky.

"LISANNA! WHO CARES ABOUT IMPRESSING GIRLS? THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO FIGHT LIKE A MAN IF YOU TAKE SUCH POOR CARE OF YOUR BODY?!" Elfman said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right Elfman. I'm gonna go for a roll, I mean a run to get rid of this extra weight."

"ITS GONNA TAKE MORE THAN A RUN TO GET RID OF THAT NATSU…HUH!?"

After 5 seconds of running, Natsu shed all those unwanted pounds. "There, that's better!" He smiled. And so did a certain girl. But not Elfman. He was fucking pissed.

"HOW THE!? WHAT THE!? THAAAATS NOOOOOOT FAAAAAAAAAAIIIR! I HAVE TO TRAIN EVERYDAY LIKE A MAN TO GET MY BODY INTO PEAK CONDITION! YOU RUN FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS AND MAINTAIN A PERFECT BODY LIKE A MAN! DAMMIT MAN!"

"Elfman, stop yelling. You're making it hard to take a nap," Gray said turning on his side trying to escape the noise."

"BUT!" Before Elfman could continue to rant anymore, the bell rang signaling the end of second period.

"Well, I guess we better get to our next class," Levy said as she jumped up.

"Let's go get this day over and done with so summer can begin!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"Oh, ok, but THIS ISN'T OVER NATSU!" Elfman declared.

"Yeah yeah Elf-niichan, we all heard you. Now let's get going before we end up being late. Oh and Gray, you might want to put your clothes back on."

"HUH? Oh shit! When did this happen?" Gray hurriedly adorned his clothes once more and they headed off to third period together.

Sorry, the story is moving so slowly, I was trying to introduce the characters a bit and explain what _BRAWL!_ is and I think I ended up making it kinda boring. I absolutely 100% promise it gets better. I hope you'll stick with me. Let me know what you think so by reviewing.


	3. Chapter 3: End of School, Beginning of

Ok, I promise to end this torturous school day so we can get to the good stuff like introducing Lucy, Wendy, and Jellal. I might have to use sum lengthy back stories, so please bear with me. I will try to make them engaging. Thank you to LuckyLifeSmile for being my first reviewer. The buildup might take a couple of chapters, but once I get to the girls, just watch out for those sparks! And GoldenRoseTanya, NaLu is on the way, I'm thinking the chapter after this one is the beginning of that, of course there will be some bumps and curves along the way. Well, here goes!

I do not own Fairy Tail

Same Damn Day 1: End of School, Beginning of…

'I hope we're almost there' the blond-haired teen thought as she leaned her head on her hand and sat quietly in the back of the limo staring out the window. 'I wonder if this place will be different, what do you think, Mama?'

The partition rolled down and the driver said, "About 10 minutes away from our destination now, Lucy-sama."

"Thank you Pierre," Lucy replied.

"It's my pleasure miss." And with that he raised the partition once again leaving her alone in silence.

'I really hope this place is different.' Lucy Heartfelia is the daughter of billionaire transport magnate Konzern Heartfelia and the late Layla Heartfelia. Back when her mother was still alive, the Heartfelia's were a family full of love. Unfortunately, after a long fight with cancer, Layla passed away. Lucy was only 5 years old. Without Layla in his life, Konzern became cold and strict. He had forgotten love and distanced himself from Lucy. She reminded him to much of Layla. The closer she tried to get to him, the further he would push her away. However, he had to keep her close by. After all, she was his rightful heir. This only made their feelings towards each other more hostile. Eventually, Lucy forgot what her father used to be like and associated him as more of the boss that everyone hates. Before the move, he made her future very clear. After graduating high school, she would marry a boy named Ustan, son of another rich transport family that controlled the seas. She had met him once, he was a nice enough boy, smart and handsome, but a bit too, for lack of a better word, wimpy. He frightened easily and could barely stomach to give her a handshake. And her father expected her to bare his children? Even if the boy could rally up the courage for such a task, Lucy knew their marriage would never involve love. She had always dreamed that her life would be like one of those cliché romance stories where her perfect prince would sweep her off her feet and she would fall in love at first sight. Not that finding prince charming was her only dream. She has always wanted to become a novelist traveling the world. Her father made it very clear that would never happen. Lucy was starting to accept this fate and that is when she truly despaired. But, all of this can be changed in Magnolia. After all, it was a very magical city.

The limo stopped and the driver exited the vehicle. He opened the door adjacent to Lucy and said, "We have arrived Lucy-sama. This is Magnolia."

Meanwhile, back at Magnolia High, 3rd period Science went extremely slowly thanks to Scorpio-sensei's insistence to teach something on the last day of school. The class wasn't paying much attention to the lecture though. Natsu and Gray had been taking a nap, with Elfman slowly on the way. Lisanna was passing notes back and forth with Levy discussing plans for the summer. Jet and Droy daydreamed about taking Levy on dates and imagining what kissing her would be like. Nab Lasaro couldn't wait to start looking for jobs, even though he'd never end up getting one. Max Alors was excited for his first chance to announce at the _BRAWL!_ tournament. Alzack Connell thought about how he'd ask his crush Bisca Mulan out on a date. Bisca thought that if Alzack didn't ask her out soon, she was going to drag his out to a movie. Vjeeter Ecor was planning new dance routines to perform in the streets. Laki Olietta was wondering how she would "chop" her hair this summer. And poor Warren Rocko, who had the strange ability to read minds, had to put up with the boring, revealing, and disturbing thoughts of his classmates.

Finally the bell rang. Natsu and Gray woke up confused and Elfman yelled "MAN!" in his half asleep delirium. They all got up and left the classroom to go to their 4th period class, Math with Macao-sensei. Macao had the sense to read the classroom and tell that nothing productive was going to happen on the last day. "Alright, consider this class free time, but you have to stay in this room. I'm going to talk to Wakaba-sensei for a while, just promise me you won't wreck the place. We teachers look forward to summer just as much as you guys and I don't want to spend mine watching you guys clean up whatever mess you make in her. So just chill out, chat, read, listen to music, whatever, but don't leave this room and don't break anything. Do you understand, Natsu?"

"Why is it always me?" Natsu said with truly no idea why he was always singled out.

"Think about that over the summer, it may help you next year if you figure it out. Be back at the end of the period." And with that, Macao was gone.

The classroom erupted in discussion about their summer plans. Natsu joined his circle of friends and listened to everyone's ideas for an awesome summer.

"Mira-nee is gonna let me work at the café this summer! I get to wear all sorts of outfits! I can't wait! Natsu, you should stop by sometime, maybe I'll wear something special just for you!" She winked and smiled seductively at him hoping to get his attention.

"Lisanna, why would you wear something special just for dumb old Natsu?" Elfman said without realizing her true intentions. Lisanna gave him a quick glare.

"As long as there's Mira's cookin', I'll be there!" Natsu said, clearly oblivious to the message as well. Lisanna was not pleased with that response.

"Hmpf, well, whatever. What about you Levy-chan?" Lisanna asked giving up on Natsu for today.

"Hopefully a lot of reading by the public pool and working on my tan," Levy said smiling thinking about the warm sun. Jet and Droy also smiled, however, there smiles were a bit too pervy and unsettling.

"I don't have time to waste doing nothing! It's gonna be TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN LIKE A MAN! And after I've won the tournament, maybe I'll relax a bit."

"Ha, good one Elfman. You…win the tournament. I can barely contain myself," Gray said mockingly.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY GRAY!?" Elfman got right in his face and the two looked as though they were about to trade blows until Natsu pushed them apart.

"Idiots, save it for _BRAWL!_" A big grin appeared on his face. Gray and Elfman followed suit and smiled.

"What is it with boys and fighting? They can't wait to physically beat the tar out of each other, but when it comes to arguments and grudges, they forget it a second later and are best friends again. I just don't get it." Lisanna sat there, simply astounded.

"HA! Its cause we're Men Lisanna," Elfman explained.

"That doesn't explain anything Elf-niichan," she said looking at him with an expression that conveyed that she believed it was because Men are idiots.

After a half hour of playing Egyptian Ratscrew, the bell rang and everyone headed to lunch.

Meanwhile, back at Fairy Tail Orphanage.

*Knock Knock* at the front door. "I wonder who that could be. It's too early for Natsu to be home and why would he knock?" *Knock Knock Knock* "YEAH YEAH I'M COMING, HOLD YOUR HORSES!" Makarov made his way to entrance and opened the door to find himself face to face with an old friend. "Roubaul?"

"Yes, it is I old friend. It's been some time since we last saw each other. Too long." He smiled.

"It has been, last I saw you was at my victory party the last time I won _BRAWL!_ 40 years ago. We got so drunk that night if I recall. You ended up with a lamp shade on your head and one girl in each arm. You lucky bastard!" Makarov couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

"Yes, I'm glad you remember what happened. I don't whether it's the old age or the fact that I was drunk as a skunk, but the memories of that night are very hazy." The two old men shared a laugh.

"Oh, it was good to be young. Where are my manners, please come in Roubaul, we have so much to catch up on."

"I wish I could Makarov, but I'm afraid I'm here for a purpose of great importance."

Makarov look puzzled. "What is it?"

"Actually, it's who is it? Come here child and introduce yourself." A young girl, no more than 13 with long, dark blue hair, stepped up with a small white cat in her arm and a suitcase in the other.

"Ummm…my name is Wendy…Wendy Marvell…It's nice to meet you." She bowed so low she lost her footing and collapsed on the front porch letting out a tiny squeal of pain as she hit the ground. "OW!"

Makarov just stared at her even more confused than before. "Makarov, my tribe and I found Wendy as a baby, abandoned in the middle of nowhere 13 years ago. We've raised her as one of our own and tried the best we could to take good care of her. But I can see that she is special and requires a proper education and the opportunity to be around children her own age. That is something we cannot offer as a nomadic people. So if you could old friend, please take her in and watch over her. I know this is a lot to ask for and understand if you are not able to…"

"Nonsense! Of course Wendy is welcome! The more the merrier!" The 'Master' of Fairy Tail smiled wide.

"I can't thank you enough Makarov, truly you are a generous man and a great friend."

"T-Thank you s-so much Makarov-san," Wendy said attempting to bow again but Makarov stopped before she fell again.

"No thank yous are necessary Wendy. You will always be welcome here at Fairy Tail. And please, call me Jii-chan."

"O-ok, Jii-jii-jii-chan"

After some final farewells to Wendy, the Caitshelter tribe set out.

"Good-goodbye everyone!" she yelled through tears.

"Don't worry Wendy. They've promised to visit again sometime. They'll be back. But in the meantime, welcome to the Fairy Tail family. Let's go inside and I'll introduce you to my grandson Laxus. And when school gets out, you'll be able to meet another boy who lives here. His name is Natsu."

"Natsu?" The name felt familiar to Wendy. It felt warm.

Once again we return to school. In the cafeteria, Natsu and company are joined by some upperclassmen at their lunch table. Erza, of course keeping a close eye on Natsu and Gray, as well as Cana Alberona.

"Have you two boys been behaving?" Erza asked sweetly, but the boys knew to look past the outer appearance and felt the threat underneath.

Understandably, they fell in line. Literally. They got up from their seats, lined up, and saluted General Erza. "YES BOSS!" they said in unison.

Cana laughed. "You've got those boys trained well Erza. Can you make them do any tricks?"

The whole table joined in the laughter. Natsu got a bit annoyed by the comment and was about to rage, when the unthinkable happened. He raised his fists into the air to make an announcement, accidently hitting an innocent bystander's tray which flew straight over Cana and covered her in what appeared to be meatloaf surprise. Everyone gasped. Tension was palpable in the air. Cana looked into Natsu's eyes and he saw it, DEATH. She scooped up some of her own food and flung it at his face. SPLAT! Everyone gasped again, not moving an inch. Erza knew that this needed to be stopped soon before it got out of hand.

"Ok guys that's enou-" Erza froze when Natsu grabbed the nearest food near him, her cake and flung it past Cana hitting a wall. SPLAT! Her cake slid down the wall slowly as her mind started to break.

When Natsu finally figured out his error and tried to plead for mercy. It was too late. Erza palmed his face and threw him the long table making him slide into everyone's food. The next five minutes, the cafeteria would become a battlefield after someone yelled, "FOOD FIGHT!"

The whole school spent the next three periods cleaning up the lunchroom. Even Erza pitched in…well ok, she SUPERVISED. Natsu, unfortunately, as the catalyst of the foody onslaught, was sent to the principal's office. Not that Natsu really minded. He has known the principal since he was just a toddler. He was an old friend of Makarov's and visited the orphanage often. In fact, he's the one who originally taught Natsu how to fight. So it looked very weird for passersby to see him sitting on the bench just outside the principal's office with a huge smile on his face.

The door to the office opened and Aries-san stepped out. "He'll see you now Natsu. SORRY!"

She went back to her desk and Natsu walked inside. "Guess I'm in trouble again GILDARTS!" Natsu showed a big stupid grin as he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"Mr. Dragneel, you will address me as Principal Clive or Sir. Wipe that stupid grin on your face. You're in really serious trouble young man."

Natsu just stood there, astonished. His mouth hanging open. "Sorry Gil-I mean Principal Clive Sir." He frowned and stared at the ground.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NATSU, YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M JUST FUCKING WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gildarts continued to laugh as Natsu got annoyed.

"GILDARTS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SERIOUSLY MAD AT ME OR SOMETHING YOU ASSHOLE!" he screamed.

"Ho, you're just too much Natsu, and way too easy to fool. Oh, man. Anyways, what did you do this time? Food fight was it? Well, I guess when you get back a week's detention will probably do. Anyways, how have you been? It seems like we haven't talked in a while."

"I'm doing great! So excited for the summer to begin, you think you could maybe help me train a bit sometime?"

"Sure. That is if I'm not busy doting on my daughter of course." Gildarts always looks weird when he talks about his daughter.

At that moment, Cana walked into the office. "Ugh, come on Dad, let's go home I want to take a shower and get all food off me." She eventually observed that Natsu was in the room as well. "YOU!" She grabbed him by the collar and started wailing on him. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THESE DESIGNER CLOTHES COST YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKING IDIOT?!"

"I'M SORRY! GILDARTS HELP!" Natsu cried out, hoping for some sympathy and mercy.

Gildarts just laughed and said "That's my girl!"

As school was drawing to a close, a new beginning for several teenagers was happening at an apartment in town. As everyone was moving stuff in, the blue-haired college boy stood there looking at the sky and thought about her. That girl with the scarlet hair. "I'll see you soon. Erza."

Hopin you like everything so far. Any suggestions, complaints, or whatever. Leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking!


	4. Chapter 4: Meetings, Planning, Waiting

I'd like to give a shout out to the biggest supporter of this story LuckyLifeSmile! Thank you so much for your reviews! They put a smile on my face. see. Anyways, moving on. Just wanted to let anyone know that I have a pretty complicated idea for pairings I plan to use in this story, if you'd like to see it, just PM me and I'll send it you. In this chapter, Natsu finally meets Wendy and Lucy, and Erza sees Jellal for the first time in 10 years. I also introduce Gajeel, Juvia, and a few others. This chapter took forever, sorry. Now back to the show.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL!

Evening of Day 1: New Friends, Old Friends, Hidden Enemies, and Wild Parties

As the last bell rang, the whole school went into a frenzy. Everyone was rushing to the doors and getting ready to start the summer. Even the teachers. Gildarts being at the head of the pack, carrying his beloved daughter Cana.

"DAD, PUT ME DOWN!" she demanded.

"Not on your life sweety!" he replied as he was running over to her car.

"He's supposed to be our principal?" said a boy with no shirt on.

"Oi Gray, put some clothes on!" the pink haired boy yelled.

"HUH? Where'd my shirt go?" As he rustled through his backpack to grab a spare shirt, Natsu watched as Gildarts gently put Cana in the car.

He was happy for Cana. After all, she used to be at the orphanage with Natsu up until 2 years ago. She had known Gildarts was her father since her mother died and she was brought to Fairy Tail. When she finally met him, he didn't seem to recognize who she was. So she held it in all those years until finally she had the courage to tell him. He was overjoyed to learn about his lost daughter and took her into his home with loving arms. Natsu remembered that day. He had never seen Cana smile so wide and cry so much.

"Oi Natsu, let's get going!" said Gray.

He snapped out his daydreaming. "Yeah yeah naked boy, I'm coming."

As they walked towards Gray's house, they talked about the summer and how awesome it was going to be. Somehow they got on the topic of girls.

"I think I'm gonna ask Jenny Realight out on a date," Gray said confidently.

"WHAT! Dude, you have no chance! She's the most popular girl in school and she's a year ahead of us."

"So, I'm cool, strong, smart, not to mention handsome and smooth, there's no way I'd get denied!" Natsu began to laugh hysterically. Gray got annoyed, and got up into Natsu's face and almost growled, "what's so fucking funny?"

"You are man! You're too much! Cool? Handsome? Yeah you're a regular James Bond! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Gray got so mad he punched his friend so hard he went to the ground. But that didn't stop Natsu. He was literally rolling on the floor laughing now.

"Ugh, whatever. So, are you going to ask anyone out? Huh?" Gray said, still aggravated.

"Why would I do that? I don't like anybody? And nobody likes me right?" Natsu said with no real concern.

"Are you kidding me? What about Lisanna?" Gray asked incredulously. Surely Natsu is not so dumb he didn't see that.

"What about her?" Gray fell over in complete disbelief.

'How can someone be so dense?' Gray thought. "Nevermind, you're hopeless." Natsu angled his head in confusion.

"Anyways, got any strategies for _BRAWL!_?"

"Yeah, BEAT EVERYONE'S ASSES!" Natsu shouted, raising his fists into the air and laughing maniacally.

Gray just stared at him. "Whatever. I know I'll end up fighting Lyon again, so I've come up with this awesome game plan!"

"Where is Lyon anyways? Doesn't he normally walk home with us?"

"Mom gave him a car yesterday after seeing he got all A's on his report card. Asshole won't even drive me home! Brothers, they're so…well, anyways, I'll beat his ass this year! You see, I'm gonna…"

As Gray explained his supposedly amazing scheme to beat his foster brother, Natsu couldn't help but be jealous of Gray. Gray was also an orphan who ended up in Fairy Tail. That's where he and Natsu became best friends. After only a few years though, Ul adopted him and he joined her family with Ultear and Lyon. Natsu never really knew what it was like to have siblings. Or a mom. He couldn't understand how Gray could think having a brother was a drag. Natsu frowned.

"Hey…Natsu, you okay?"

Natsu snapped back to reality. "Of course I am you idiot! And what does it matter if you beat your brother or not? You'll still never be able to beat me!"

"OH YEAH! We'll just see about that!" They stared each other down. They were more than friends, they were rivals as well. And as much as they wanted the other to do well, they still wanted to beat the tar out of each other. "Anyways, I'll see you later Natsu!" Gray's house was a couple blocks away. Natsu had to walk towards the forest to get to Fairy Tail, so they split up at the corner of Fire Lane and Ice Drive everyday on their walk home.

"Bye Gray!" Natsu waved his friend goodbye and ran down Fire Lane until he read the dirt road that led to the orphanage. 'Cana, Gray, Erza, everyone. They all found families or have grown up. When will it be my turn?' All of the loneliness Natsu kept inside was slowly eating away at him. Would today be the day he finally gives in? 'I wonder what's for dinner tonight!' he thought as he ran home. 'I hope its chili!' I guess not.

Meanwhile, Cana was getting out of the car still covered in nasty food. All she wanted was to go take a shower, relax, and maybe drink some of the vodka she had stashed under her bed. But as always, her father had other plans that would stomp all over hers.

"Oh look, someone's finally moving in next door. We should go say hi!"

"But Dad, I really want to take a shower! I'm tired of smelling like I fell in a dumpster!" Cana pleaded.

"Just a few minutes to greet our new neighbors won't kill you sweety!" He picked her up and walked over to the next house as she struggled to get loose.

The moving van was still in the street in front of the house. Men kept moving boxes from the van into the house and coming back for more. There was only one person who didn't look like a mover. A young blonde girl, probably around Cana's age, sitting on a box and looking at the ground. Gildarts walked on over to her, assuming she was the daughter of whoever was moving in. "Hi there!" Gildarts said loudly and enthusiastically.

The sudden voice from behind her startled Lucy making her jump a little. She turned around to see a large, muscular man carrying a squirming girl saying let me go. Needless to say it was not a very good first impression. "Hi I'm Gild-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Scared and confused, Lucy slapped him across the face as hard as she could and yelled, "LET GO OF HER AND STAY AWAY FROM US YOU PERVERT!" Gildarts was lifted off the ground with that mighty slap and his grip on Cana loosened enough for her to escape. The movers stopped for a moment to check out the scene. A big, strong man on the ground twitching with a handprint on his cheek while the blond looks horrified and the brunette just laughs.

"You gotta admit Dad, you had that one coming!" Cana was running out of breath from all the laughing.

"DAD?! HE'S YOUR DAD! OH MY GOD! I'M SOOOOOO SORRY!" She bowed after realizing her mistake.

"Don't worry about it blondie, the old man deserved a good slap. Anyways, we're your neighbors! I'm Cana Alberona Clive and this is my Dad, Gildarts Clive.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucy. Lucy Heartfelia."

"It's nice to meet you too Lucy. Welcome to Magnolia! So what brings you to our little town?"

"My father is…" she thought about what kind of answer to give to this complete stranger, "moving for work. He'll be down in a few weeks to start, until then I'm here to make sure the house is ready for him to arrive."

"So, is your Mom here too?"

"No…" Lucy didn't know this girl, why should she burden her with that sad story.

"So you're all alone in that big house?" Cana said concerned.

"Eh?" That wasn't exactly the response Lucy expected. "Well, yeah I guess."

"Hmmm…No, I don't like the sound of that at all. A pretty girl like you all alone in a big house with no family around. Nope, you'll sleep at our house and we'll help fix up the house during the day."

Lucy was absolutely shocked. "But I…"

"No arguments! Now come on! If you haven't noticed I could really use a shower so I'll show you around the house real quick. Whenever you feel like doing something useful Dad, grab Lucy's personal luggage there and bring it into the house."

"O…K…my…darling…" Gildarts managed to say while he was still on the ground.

Lucy couldn't believe what was happening. Why would this total stranger who only just met her invite her into their home? Why?

"I can tell," Cana whispered.

"What?" Lucy stared at the back of Cana's head.

"I can tell…you're just like I used to be. Alone and lonely. With no one around who seems to care." Cana turned her head to face Lucy. She smiled. "But consider those days over, I'll be your friend Lucy, and I'll always be around to look out for you. Just so long as you promise to do the same. Deal?"

Lucy was overwhelmed. She felt tears well up in her eyes. 'This is Magnolia, huh?'

"Deal!" Lucy agreed.

"Great! Now I can honestly say that you don't smell too great either, so let's take a bath together!"

"EEEHHHH! That was too blunt!" Lucy exclaimed.

Cana burst out laughing. And eventually, so did Lucy.

On the other side of town at the local cosplay café, a certain scarlet haired overachiever was enjoying teasing customers with her bunny girl uniform. She leans on their table, bends to show of her glorious cleavage, looks right into their souls, and says most seductively, "What can I get for you boys?" Winking after her question.

"O-O-O-ONE OF EVERYTHING PLEASE!" the three foolish guys said as they drooled over the beautiful waitress.

"I'll bring it right over," Erza said smiling. She then walked over to the kitchen. "Well, Mira, it's another one of everything for table 5."

"Gosh Erza, business is always so good when you are waiting the floor. How do you do it?"

Erza takes a second to think, looks down at her breasts, and then turns back to Mira. "Guess I've just got a lovely personality." Erza smiles wickedly.

Mirajane giggles. "I'm sure that's what it is." Suddenly, they hear the bells ringing at the door. "Oh, there's another customer! Show 'em your stuff Erza! OH, I meant go take care of them! Don't show them your stuff! Well, actually…"

"I'll go serve them Mira, you just get cookin'," Erza said smirking as she left the kitchen. "Welcome to Mira-nee's Cosplay Café, how may I help y-"

"Erza?" said the warm voice of the blue-haired young man standing in front of the door.

Erza looks at him for a moment and all the memories come rushing back. Totally unprepared to see her…her…"Jella-"

"ERZA!" Three teenagers jumped the surprised waitress and hugged her tight. "WE FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

Erza was stunned for a moment, but then she smiled and squeezed them back. "It's good to see you…Sho…Millianna…Wally…"

"We missed you sooooooo much Er-chan," Millianna said through her tears.

"And I missed you." Erza closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time she saw them. It was that day they were freed and then separated. She was curious how they had all found each other. But that question could be saved for later. Right now, all she wanted to do was hug them and never let go.

"That's an…interesting outfit you're wearing Erza," said a tall, muscular boy next to Jellal.

Erza snapped back to reality and looked at herself. Her reunion with her old friends and she was wearing a bunny outfit. He cheeks turned the color of her hair. "Shut up Simon! I'm just…its part of the job is all…it's not like I actually enjoy it or anything." Cue nervous laughing. The group of friends looks at each other and bursts out laughing.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" Erza said starting to get annoyed.

"We're just so glad to see you again Erza. And don't worry, you look really cute." Jellal smiled his devilishly handsome smile. Erza's face went absolutely scarlet and steam came out her ears.

"W-well, l-let me t-take you t-to your t-table," Erza said robotically and then, mimicking her voice, she guided them stiffly to an open table.

Back to Natsu. Fairy Tail Orphanage was in sight and he could smell dinner on the table. 'Wow! That smells way better than usual! I wonder what the special occasion is.' He ran as fast as he could and ripped open the kitchen door. "I'm home!"

"Oh, Natsu, there you are. What took you? Nevermind. I'm sure I don't want to know. Anyways, before dinner, I'd like to introduce you to a new resident."

"SOMEONE NEW! OH COOL! Where are they?"

"Ummm…I'm right here," Wendy said stretching in front of the hulking Laxus sitting next to her.

"Natsu, this is Wendy. Wendy, this is Natsu."

They looked at each other for a moment. Wendy couldn't explain it, but when she saw him, she felt happy, safe, and at home. Natsu didn't understand it himself, but he was feeling the same thing too. "Welcome home Wendy!" he said without thinking.

Wendy felt overjoyed and tears welled up in her eyes. Laxus and Makarov were a little confused as that didn't really make sense, but otherwise were happy to see that they were going to get along great.

It was Natsu that broke the silence. "Anyways, I'm STARVING! What's for dinner Jii-chan?"

And so a night of chit-chat, amazing food, crazy antics, and laughter ensued. It truly felt like a real family, or as close as Natsu could tell. It was about 9 o' clock when they were just finishing up their after dinner tea. Wendy was exhausted. It had been a long day for her after all.

"Ummm…is it ok if I go to bed?"

"Of course Wendy, and remember you don't need to ask to do anything around here. This is your home now too." Makarov gave her a big smile.

"Thank you Jii-chan." Suddenly, she ran up to him and gave him a big hug. He was surprised by this, not just because of Wendy's timid nature, but also because it had been a while since one of his children had been young enough to feel comfortable giving him a hug. A tear could be seen in his eye as he squeezed her right back.

"No. Thank you Wendy."

When they finally separated, she proceeded to the next one. "Goodnight Laxus-nii!" She hugged him around his torso as he just sat in his chair dumbfounded. He eventually got the sense to pat her on the back and with red cheeks replied, "Night Wendy."

Last, but certainly not least she turned to Natsu. Natsu was already out of his chair preparing for the coming hug with a big smile on his face. "My turn right?"

Wendy blushed a little, but nonetheless smiled back and replied, "Yeah, goodnight Natsu-nii."

"Goodnight Wendy-chan." There was that unexplainable feeling again. In their embrace, it felt warm, friendly, familiar. It felt like home. It felt like family.

After she had gone upstairs, Natsu sat down again for another cup of tea. As Makarov watched him pour it he said, "Such a sweet girl. Natsu, listen up. It will be your responsibility to look after Wendy outside of this house. During the summer, show her around town, introduce her to some friends, and protect her.. Also, she will be attending Magnolia High this fall. Be sure to look out for her there as well. She's sweet and very smart, but terribly naïve. Do you understand?"

Natsu merely smiled. "Jii-chan, I was going to do that even if you didn't ask me to. Wendy-chan is a part of our family now, she's my little sister." Natsu's expression changed, suddenly he was very serious. "If I have to, I'll protect her with my life." Natsu stared into Makarov's eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know I mostly meant for you to protect her from schemers and boys right?"

"Uh, right. Anyways Jii-chan, I'm gonna go train a bit before bed. Night!" Natsu ran off up the stairs to his room.

"What am I going to do about that hothead?" Makarov sighed.

Laxus smirked. "Well, at least he's back to normal."

"Yes, so you saw that in his eyes too? He won't admit it, but he does miss having others around besides us. I can't believe he'll be 18 next summer. What will we do without that bozo around?"

Laxus laughed. "You think we can get rid of him that easily?" Makarov laughed as well and the two of them started cleaning up the table.

As Natsu was finishing up his push-ups, "998…999…1000!," his cellphone started buzzing.

Why don't we check up on Cana and Lucy? At around 7, after getting way too close bathing together and then having a crazy dinner with Gildarts, they went up to Cana's room. Lucy had never gotten the chance to decorate her own room. It was already set up for her by her father. Boring with no personality and she was expected to keep it tidy at all times. One thing out of place and she would be subject to punishment. As she stepped into Cana's room, she learned that she had clearly not been treated the same way. Her room was filled with an array of colors and cute knick knacks. However, the floor could not be seen as there were clothes covering it everywhere. Cana turned around when she noticed Lucy stopped moving and saw her befuddled expression. Cana laughed and said, "What? Never seen a real girl's room before?" Of course, that isn't what every girl's room looked like. In fact, Cana's was probably a bit abnormal compared to most girls' rooms.

Nonetheless, Lucy still looked amazed and said, "No, I guess I really haven't." They both laughed and Cana offered Lucy a seat on her bed.

"So, want a drink?" Cana offered.

"Yes please."

Cana reached under her bed and pulled out that vodka bottle she'd been thinking about ever since she got home. "Here we go!"

"Oh, alcohol?" Lucy said hesitantly. She didn't expect that. She had spent her whole life being trained to be the perfect lady, underage drinking had not played into her training.

Cana looked at her dumbfounded. "Don't tell me…you've never drank before have you?"

"Well…no…" Lucy looked down, cheeks slightly red, embarrassed.

"We have to fix that!" Cana declared, pulling out her phone and typing a text.

"What are you doing?" said Lucy curiously.

"Calling for an emergency party," Cana said casually as if it was an everyday thing.

"Oh…PARTY!?"

"Yep, now shhh for a second while I text everyone at school."

"EVERYONE!?"

"Well yeah, it is a party after all…wait…YOU HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN TO A PARTY!?" Cana was completely astounded. 'How innocent was this girl?' she wondered. "Well, from now on, consider me your social advisor. With this party, we can kill two birds with one stone. Get you drunk and introduce you to more people!"

"DRUNK!?"

"Yep, I wonder what you'll be like," Cana said, dreaming of a drunk Lucy and smiling deviously.

"But…where can we even have a party?" Lucy asked, hoping this would stop the issue.

"Don't worry! There's this old abandoned barn out in the fields on the outskirts of Magnolia. We always have the parties there."

There was no escape. But after a moment or two to think about it, Lucy realized that this was a great opportunity. Meet new people, try new things, and be rebellious for once. And Cana was doing all this for her. They only just met and yet she is the best friend Lucy has ever had. While she had been thinking, Cana was rummaging through her suitcase of clothes. "EH! What are you doing?" Lucy asked frantically.

"Lookin' through your clothes tryin' to find a good party outfit, but you've got a lot of fancy dresses and formal wear and HELLO!"

"AH! NOT THAT!"

"OH YES THIS! You have to wear this! If you do, the boys will be all over you! Well, after they're done lookin' at me of course."

"But what if I don't want all the boys looking at me?"

"Oh, so you like girls? That's cool. I'll just let everyone know that in advance."

"EH! NO WHAT I MEAN IS…WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS…oh never mind. Fine, I'll wear it," Lucy conceded after flustering.

"That's the spirit! And if you hold on a second, I think I have some heels that will look great with this."

'So this is what normal teenagers do huh? I think I could get used to it,' Lucy thought as Cana searched through her closet for the shoes.

At the café, Erza had been listening to her old friend's tales of what happened to them after that incident. She was so happy to see them all again. Little Sho, excitable and loving. Millianna, happy and beautiful. Wally, cool and dandy. Simon, calm and collected. And of course Jellal…what couldn't she like about Jellal…

"Oh, I guess we haven't explained how we found you Erza-neesan," Sho said. "Well, it's all thanks to Jellal! He always was the smartest! He started college last year and was already recruited for a job after he finishes school! He only made one request for joining them…to have them help find us!"

"Wow…" Erza was impressed by the accomplishment, but not at all surprised. 'Of course he did, he is Jellal…'

"So he found us one by one until finally only you were left!" Millianna continued. "And when we found out you were here in Magnolia, we decided to move here and go to the same school as you. Jellal even transferred to Magnolia University! Isn't that great Er-chan! We'll all be together again!"

"That's wonderful…I can't tell you how much I missed you guys. It's great to see you're all doing so well and even better to know you're staying here. Well, I'd love to stay and talk some more, but I do have a job to do."

"Well, we should be heading back soon anyways. Got a lot of moving in to do," Jellal said as he motioned everyone to the door.

"If you guys need a tour of the town, I have a day off tomorrow and I'd love to show you around," Erza offered.

"That would be just DANDY!" Wally answered for the group.

"Great, I-" *buzz buzz* Erza's phone vibrated. So she pulled it out and checked to see who was texting her. It was Cana. 'A party, huh? Well I guess I should go to make sure they don't get into too much trouble. Oh and…' "Hey guys!" she called out Jellal and company. "If you finish moving in, there's a party I'm going to after work, do you want to come?"

"WE'D LOVE TOO!" Sho, Millianna, and Wally all yelled at once.

"Great, just meet me here at about 12! Anyways, later guys!"

"Bye Erza-neesan!" Sho said.

"Bye Errrrrrrrrr-chan!" Millianna purred.

"Dandy," Wally said as he tipped his hat.

"Bye Erza," Simon said simply.

"We'll see you later," Jellal said finally as they exited the restaurant.

Erza watched them walk down the street and couldn't help but smile. However, that smile and happiness soon turned to an open mouth and panic. 'OH SHIT! WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?' It had been a while since Erza had truly cared what someone had thought about her appearance. But he wasn't just someone.

Under the moonlit sky, on top of the hills surrounding Magnolia, hiding in the shadows of the trees, they were three people lurking, spying on Fairy Tail Orphanage.

"So that's the kid you want me to kill in the competition?" A long, dark-haired youth covered in piercings asked as he looked through the binoculars and spied a certain pink-haired boy picking his nose.

"Yes, I want you to destroy him. I don't care if you lose this tournament as long as he's dead."

"Master, why are we going after the boy when we can just kill the old man instead?" The blue-haired young woman didn't understand why they were beating around the bush.

"Because you fool, I want Makarov to suffer and watch as we beat and kill the children he's looked after. He will be absolutely humiliated. And I will have exacted my revenge!" The dark shadow of a man laughed maniacally into the night.

"Natsu Dragneel, huh?" The pierced man smirked. "Sorry kid, but you're dead meat once you go up against me at _BRAWL!_"

And that's it for chapter 4! Sorry this one took me sooooo long. Lots and lots of writers block. Sorry if the transitioning was off or some of the parts length seemed inappropriate. As I'm writing this now, I'm just stalling so I don't have to write what came after Erza met everyone again. But as you can see, I finally got that done! As always, please read and review and thank you for your continued support!


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